Champion Laid to Rest
by Arwyn Atreides
Summary: Champion Cycle pt. 5. All things come to an end and the family must bid one of their own a farewell. We remember this day Seto Kaiba, a devoted father, an accomplished businessman, a great man, a Champion. The Kaiba siblings remember their father and his works.
1. Prologue - Obituary

…+…+…

Author's Notes:

This is the 5th part in the Champion Cycle. Honestly, I think you might be lost without reading all of the other stories in the series.

I hope you enjoy this trip into the Champion Cycle!

…+…+…

Champion, Laid to Rest

…+…+…

Prologue - Obituary

Excerpts from the Domino City Herald

"…in the early hours of the morning, Seto Kaiba, the founder and CEO of KaibaCorp passed away, surrounded by his family. He is survived by his three children, Mokuba, Yuugi, and Anzu. The Kaiba siblings informed the media, through a spokesperson, that their father's health had been declining for several years but he passed with minimal discomfort.

…They ask that those who wish to pay their respects, come a memorial service which will be held at Second Chance Home…

…They also ask that people choose to forego buying flowers to remember their father, but instead make donations to their favorite charities…"


	2. Chapter 1 - Beginnings and Ends

…+…+…

Chapter 1 - Beginnings and Ends

Mokuba tried so hard not to fidget but he couldn't help himself. He fixed his necktie for the millionth time. He glanced at his sister and she smiled at him encouragingly.

"Now for a few words about the man we are here to honor, from his son, Mokuba Kaiba." The presenter stepped aside and smiled at Mokuba, "You're going to be fine. Just speak from the heart. We all know how difficult this is for you."

Mokuba smiled and tried not to betray how bitterly ironic those words sounded. "Thanks."

Mokuba stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat. "Ahem- gosh… I -uh… First off, I want to say, thank you, to all of you. Man, you know, people said my dad was great all of my life." Mokuba skipped the 'all of my life that I lived with him' which he had originally written for his speech. "But seeing just how many people miss him. I can see just how _loved_ he was." There was a soft cheer which wavered amongst the sniffles.

"I guess I should get on with it, though." Mokuba tried to give a relaxed chuckle but his throat flexed and it was caught. "My- " he cleared his throat, "my father, Seto Kaiba, was a businessman, a millionaire," there was a ripple of honest laughter, "but of course he is best remembered, by the people here, as a man who loved children. He dedicated his life to caring for the children who he felt were the most vulnerable."

+…+

Mokuba picked up his mug from the counter and poured coffee into it. He focused on the little task before he turned around. He leaned back against the countertop, trying to relax into a day which refused to be relaxing. He held the mug and stared at his father's back.

Mokuba was closing in on thirty years of age. He was a man. He had a car, a home of his own, and he had been helping to run the business side of KaibaCorp for several years now. However, as children became adults, adults became the elderly. He had watched as his friends discovered that their parents were not invincible giants. He had watched as they discovered that their parents were mortal, humans. They grew older and became more forgetful, more unsteady, frail. It was all part of the cycle of life.

However…as he comforted his friends, as he tried to smooth the shock of their revelations, Mokuba grappled with the truth that this would not be his fate. He would never have to struggle with the sudden realization that his father was growing frail and weak.

There, sitting as straight as ever at the kitchen table, his father was reading the newspaper just like he did every morning. His back wasn't curving like the other fathers. His shoulders were not beginning to droop. His hair was not being invaded by grey strands, nor had it begun to thin. His body was as fit as it was the day he had brought Mokuba home.

He turned the page in the newspaper and Mokuba took a sip of his coffee. His father's mind had not begun to weaken. He knew that even now the great Seto Kaiba was laying out all of the things which would be accomplished today. He was thinking about the stock prices, the upcoming filings, and the new charity that Anzu would be launching in a month's time. Mokuba watched his friends fret over how they would provide for a parent if they began to have a difficult time caring for themselves. That would never be Mokuba.

Seto Kaiba. Perfectly frozen in the same age for all of Mokuba's life. Perfectly frozen for all of eternity. Mokuba's father would never age. He would never weaken.

He would never be human.

A hand touched Mokuba's arm and he stiffened for a moment. Bakura smiled up at him, "Good morning, Mokuba." Mokuba relaxed. "It's time for your dad's medicine," he said with a wink.

Mokuba couldn't help smiling. "Good morning, Uncle Bakura."

Bakura walked over to the kitchen table and set down a glass half filled with a dark red liquid. Mokuba watched the liquid swirl as Bakura mixed in something else. He stared at the swirling contents for a moment, entranced but as his father took hold of the cup, Mokuba lifted his own mug.

He turned away and slowly drank his coffee. Even though he _knew_ what his father's diet required, and that his father never hurt anyone to get what it, he still found it difficult to _watch_. Especially when it was in a clear glass. Instead, he looked into his mug and at the cupboards as he slowly sipped his coffee.

Sometimes, when things were quiet or when he was with his father when he had to eat while at work, Mokuba had the urge to laugh. It was so funny, the things a person could get used to. The things that they could become accustomed to. When they were teenagers, he and his siblings had thought it was cool to know this secret…or maybe it had just been him.

There was always some unspoken … _something_ between the other members of the family. Sometimes Mokuba would walk in on a conversation between his brother and sister which would abruptly stop. Or there would be an awkward exchange between his father and his Uncle Max about his brother's hair. Or Uncle Bakura would make a comment about a pharaoh and everyone else would freeze and the room would suddenly become quiet and cold. There was some past specter which haunted all to them and which they weren't willing to allow him to find out about.

There had been no thrill for his siblings when Mokuba had shared his discovery with them. When he had finally realized what his father was, and what his uncles were. Thinking about it now, Mokuba snorted into his mug. He realized that the look, he had originally thought of as 'uneasiness' on his siblings' face, had actually been something more akin to a surprise pity mixed with confusion. He realized, finally, they had known all along and they had thought that he had known. His great discovery hadn't been a shock to his family, but his siblings had played along. Letting him believe that all three siblings had been left in the dark.

Mokuba remembered how proud he had been that he had figured it all out. He had thought that he had been the smart big brother illuminating a family secret for his little brother and sister.

Turning back around, Mokuba found Bakura smiling at him. "All done." Bakura took the glass and walked past, to the sink.

Mokuba glanced at the clock on the wall and then back at his father. As he watched, Seto's shoulders drooped a fraction, strands of grey peeked out between the brown of his hair, and, as he turned the newspaper page, Mokuba saw the faint speckling of liver spots. Seto turned his head and looked at Mokuba. A patch of grey hair at his temple and the thin lines of wrinkles made his disguise complete. The older gentleman smiled at the younger. The human costume complete.

"Why don't you come sit down, I'm done eating now." Seto folded up the newspaper and set it on the table. Mokuba pulled out a chair and sat down. Seto looked into his son's eyes. "Does it all look OK?"

Mokuba looked at his father's face. There were lines around his mouth and lines radiating from the corners of his eyes. Careful wrinkles which spoke of a lifetime of smiles. He looked at the patches of grey at his temples and the gentle encroachment of silver strands in a mostly brown mane. He looked distinguished. He still looked strong. He still looked like the great man everyone knew.

"There's something to be said about tailoring your aging." Mokuba chuckled.

"Yeah, there's little that your Uncle Bakura can't fix with a mixture of something." Seto chuckled.

"I'm sure Yuugi wishes he could make him taller, though." Mokuba laughed. Even though he was two years older than Mokuba, Yuugi's stunted growth in his formative years had doomed him to always be at least a head shorter than he should have been. However, since Mokuba was always referred to as the older brother, it worked out- at least for Mokuba.

Seto shook his head at the old joke. "You shouldn't tease your little brother so much. He's older than you, you know." The pair laughed.

+…+

"My brother, my sister, and myself are so grateful that all of you would come out to remember our father. We are here at the place where it all started- well not for my father, of course, but for me and for so many other children."

Mokuba fought his closing throat.

"If you are old enough to remember, if you were here, if you read the stories, then you will know that Second Chance Home is not a name that was made up by some poetic marketing guy." Mokuba sniffled and tried to blink away the tears which were threatening to break free, even as he laughed at his own joke. "If you know what this place _was_ you will know that it was an orphanage called 'Dead City-' of course that was just a nickname but it was all too close to the truth. Especially for those of us who lived here." Mokuba listened to the fluttering beat of his own heart and he tried to stay calm as he continued.

"This was the city's last stop for children that no one wanted. Children were dropped off here and no one ever had the expectation that they would ever be seen again." He tried to swallow the growing lump in his throat. "I won't go over all of the gory details- you can read all of them in the books and articles- because that was what was at this spot but that is not what this place _is_.

"When I was about five years old, Dead City was bought by some rich guy. He had a plan for an orphanage which was focused on being a home rather than a drop-off. He had a dream that children would not suffer as people ignored their plight. That man planned to tear the building down and he dreamed of a great new facility being built on the spot. With that plan and that dream he came to see Dead City before it was completely demolished. But when he got here-" Mokuba's chest felt tight and he had to clear his throat several times before he could go on. "When he got here, he found that there was one child who had been left behind."

A ripple of chatter went through the gathering.

"He took that child out of Dead City, in a blanket, he ran past the reporters, and got in his limo and left before anyone could celebrate him. He left before anyone knew what had happened. His focus was on the child he had found in the garbage and filth." Mokuba took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying not to blow on the microphone as he did so. "That man, Seto Kaiba, took me out of Dead City and he gave me a home and a second chance. And that is why we are here, remembering him, at Second Chance Home. It was his first major act to improve the lives of children, worldwide, and it is only fitting that we remember him _here,_ at his end."

Smiles were exchanged. Smatters of applause grew. Sniffles and sobs were heard throughout.

"My father dedicated his life to helping children find second chances and homes. But I don't know if he ever knew just how many people appreciated him or just how much of an impact his work made. But if he could see us all here, remembering him not for the businessman he was but for the love he spread and the help he gave- and maybe he _can_ see us- this is something which would fill his heart with the most joy. Seeing all of the lives that he has touched, the volunteers, the employees, and _especially_ the children here who have been helped by his work. All of the lives that he has improved. I think _this_ is how he would want to be remembered. So, thank you, again. _All of you._ "

The crowd applauded and Mokuba felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked at the blurry image of his sister. He was caught between a sob and chuckle but she put her hand on his cheek and pulled him into a hug. "You did really well."

"Thanks… Do you think he would've liked it?"

"Of course."


	3. Chapter 2 - Visions and Time

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Chapter 2 - Visions and Time

Anzu let go of her brother and turned to the crowd. She looked out at all the faces, lit by handheld candles, all looking up at her. No, not at her. Looking at the portrait of her father. They were all there for her father. They weren't just there to pay their obligatory respects to a powerful man. She looked out into the front rows of standing people and she knew them all at least in passing from her work with the charity arm of KaibaCorp. They were people she had read files about. They were people she had met who had told her, at length about how her father had changed their lives. They were just like her, except…

"I want to thank you all, again, for coming here tonight. Like my brother said, our father never _really_ understood how beloved he was. For Seto Kaiba the work he did for children was just natural. He had the money, the power, and the tools. It was only natural that he helped those who could not help themselves. His company built orphanages, community centers, schools, playgrounds, and funded countless after-school and daycare programs. But my father never saw what he was doing as something great. He saw it as his duty. And I think he thought that everyone else saw it that way as well."

+…+

The bathroom seemed a bit smaller than Anzu remembered. It also seemed just the tiniest bit less magical. Her fingers brushed across the countertop, feeling the cool marble. It wasn't that the magic was gone… It was that she has outgrown the _need_ for it.

She turned and looked at the tub she had crawled into, gripped by night terrors. She looked at the seat her father had held her in, rocking her back and forth gently as she cried. Finally, she looked at the mirror. The mirror which, her father had shown her, had the magic to break the spell put upon her by a terrible monster. It was here that she had learned how to take back control of herself. It was here that she had learned-

"You are not your hurt."

The words came from the doorway and Anzu turned, smiling. "Good morning, Dad. You're looking…distinguished today."

Seto chuckled, "Well, I have to keep up appearances, for now."

Anzu's smile slowly faded from her face.

"Oh, come now, you know that nothing is forever, Anzu." Anzu felt a, now familiar, ache growing in her chest as her father spoke the words she was beginning to hate. "Flowers, that scar on your throat, and Seto Kaiba. Nothing is forever."

Anzu screwed up her face, trying not to give into the tears which were threatening to spring free. It was all so stupid. She knew that she wasn't losing her father…but she was still losing him! The world was losing him! The worst part was that he just wanted her to _accept_ it!

Arms wrapped around Anzu and she felt her arms return the hug. She buried her head into her father's shoulder and felt the sobs shaking her.

"Sssh, now, Anzu. It's ok. You are allowed to cry. I know this is hurting you. It's hurting your brothers too. And it's hurting me. Not getting to see my three children everyday- it's breaking my heart, Anzu."

"But-" Anzu pulled her face free, "but then _why won't you stay?_ "

"Time, Anzu. It marches on but your uncles and myself, we don't march with it."

Anzu swallowed a sob, "I know… but why can't you just keep taking Uncle Bakura's mixtures? _Why can't you just keep getting older!?_ " The last few words had to fight to break free of her aching throat.

Seto's cool palm rested on her hot cheek and he smiled wearily, "How long could I possibly do that for?" Anzu opened her mouth but he shook his head. "No, Anzu. Bakura's mixtures can only do so much for so long. I could not possibly keep this up for as long as you want me to. The more dramatic the aging, the shorter the duration. What use would it be for me to be a bent old man of a hundred years if the effect only lasts a few minutes. No, dearheart, it is better to quit while I am ahead."

For a moment, a rage rose up in Anzu, which she had not felt in… forever. It pushed her to rip and tear. It howled that she must fight this. This was not how things should be. She had to do something to fix it all! She had to do something- to do _something_!

Cold lips touched Anzu's furrowed brow and she suddenly realized that she had been scowling. "The time of the Darkling is over, Anzu. So, too, is my time as Seto Kaiba. Let go of your rage." He kissed her forehead again, "This hurt is also not who you are. It is merely a part of your story."

Fresh sobs burst forth from Anzu, she clung to her father and buried her face into his shoulder once more.

+…+

"I look forward not only to carrying on my father's charitable work but also working with all of the amazing people who have helped to bring my father's dreams and plans to fruition."

Anzu smiled at the gathering, "If you spoke to my father about how great he was- and I can see some of you smiling, because you know how _difficult_ that was." Scattered chuckles came from those who had met Seto Kaiba. "But if you tried to talk to my father about how great he was and how great what he did was, you know that the first thing he would do was tell you that you were wrong." A greater number of chuckles came from the crowd and nods were exchanged as they all remembered how quickly Seto Kaiba shut down any praise of himself.

"He would tell you that he was just one man. The _people_ who deserved your praise and awe were all the lawyers, construction workers, engineers, translators, drivers, teachers, caretakers, parents, donors, and the _countless_ volunteers. Because they all worked together _tirelessly_ to make everything happen. My father would tell you that he was just the guy with some plans and a lot of cash." Here, Anzu joined the crowd's laughter.

"Seto Kaiba was a man with vision, but with all of his vision he could never seem to see just how great he really was." Anzu turned away from the crowd and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I apologize." She chuckled in spite of herself. "My father, near the end, told me that 'nothing is forever.' He- he knew- I'm sorry." Anzu bit her tongue and looked up. "My father knew that it was the end for him but he accepted that. He knew that the world would continue on without him," her voice cracked and she tried hard to swallow, "but I don't think he understood just how big a hole would be left behind after he was gone." A sob cut off her sentence and Anzu turned away from the podium and tried, without much luck, to wipe the tears away as they streamed down her cheeks.

An arm wrapped itself around her, "It's ok, Anzu." Mokuba whispered as he pulled her back to her seat.

"You were great." Yuugi whispered in her ear as he rubbed her back. "But I don't know how you expect me to follow _that!_ "

The siblings chuckled. Anzu sniffled and sat down. Mokuba kept his arm around her shoulder and offered his other hand, for her to hold.


	4. Chapter 3 - Family and Remembrances

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Chapter 3 - Family and Remembrances

Yuugi glanced over his shoulder at his sister and brother. He couldn't help chuckling. Everyone thought of him as the youngest sibling. He was the smallest of the three and he seemed to always rely upon them. But in truth he was eldest. A year older than Anzu. Two years older than Mokuba. He should have been the one, stoically delivering a moving speech about their father before going to comfort his brother and sister as they cried.

Instead, he was trying to piece together his words and pick apart his emotions as he stepped up to the podium.

"I think, we can all agree that the theme of these speeches is 'Thank you all for coming.'" Yuugi forced a little laugh. People in the crowd smiled, some laughed through their tears, and they all looked at him. He glanced down at his notes in his hand then back at the gathering. "And I know that you're probably a bit sick of hearing it, but it needs to be said again: Thank you all for coming here."

Yuugi cleared his throat, "You know, it's probably hard to believe but our father never wanted a memorial. He thought that it'd be a waste. He didn't think that anyone would be interested in coming together to remember a businessman. Our- uh-" His throat tightened and Yuugi cleared it again. "Our father couldn't imagine _why_ anyone would be interested in his accomplishments. Couldn't imagine anyone caring about his passing, outside of his family. He understood that time marched on and people were small things in the grand scheme." He sniffled. "But if he could see you all- you all- all of you, all here to remember him. I think he would change his mind about how small his effect was. He was one man but he touched so _many_ lives."

+…+

The whole table was quiet and no one seemed to want to be the first one to break the silence. It was like a funeral… before a funeral.

Yuugi looked at Anzu, his sister had been quiet and seemed to be fighting tears the whole day. In the morning, she had looked like she had been crying before work. She had been at their father's home, along with Mokuba and Uncle Bakura, in the morning. However, Yuugi had chosen to meet them at work. He hadn't trusted himself to be able to go back to their home and be with all of them, be with their father, and then go to work as if nothing was happening.

With Uncle Max gone now, Yuugi was officially in charge of the Industrial Illusions side of the merger with KaibaCorp. He had to be focused at work… and he knew if he had come here, if he had come home before work, he would have spent the whole day in his office. He would have locked himself away and spent the whole day alternating between staring at pieces of paper and crying. Yuugi didn't want to do that. He wanted to continue to be the person Uncle Max had seen he could be, when he gave him the company.

For as long as Yuugi had worked with him, Uncle Max had told Yuugi that he had intended to make him his heir. Yuugi, of course, had always thought it was a joke. It wasn't until he heard the will that Yuugi found out just how serious his jovial uncle had truly been. The plans for a merging of the two companies had been an added surprise to the siblings. Mokuba was the heir apparent to KaibaCorp, Anzu was already running the charities arm of the company, and with Yuugi now running Industrial Illusions, the siblings found that that their father and uncle had set them up to work together. The two owners had faith in the three children and they were preparing them for great futures. With their guidance, Yuugi, Anzu, and Mokuba felt themselves ready to carry on the legacies of their father and uncle.

Unfortunately, what they could not feel prepared for, was the loss of their father.

Losing their uncle had been a keen cut…

They had spent a long evening, drinking, talking, and reminiscing into the night. Seto, Max, Bakura, and the three siblings had all gathered at Seto's home. The home full of so many precious and important memories. They talked about all of them. It was a night full of laughter. They talked until the sun came up and then they all hugged and they all tried not to cry. Uncle Max playfully scolded Yuugi for ruining his shirt with tears. But even Uncle Max began to cry when Uncle Bakura started up. Yuugi had watched as his father silently walked out of the room, unnoticed by the others, to go out into the back garden. He knew that his father had gone out to have his own tears in private.

They had all said their goodbyes and then Uncle Max had gone on his vacation.

The next day the calls came. A terrible accident in the mountains. A skiing trip gone awry. A search which was called off because of a storm. Premature condolences. Explanations about the dwindling chances of finding someone alive in those conditions.

That night they had all gathered again in Seto's home but that night was quiet. Just like this night.

Yuugi looked at his father, who was sitting and calmly drinking a cup of tea. The aging potion had worn off and he looked as he always did.

"It's not fair." The words cut through the silence and fell heavy on the family.

All eyes turned to look at Yuugi. He suddenly realized that they had been his words.

None of this was fair. The worst part was that it was unfair in ways that he could not explain to anyone outside of this family.

Yuugi stared at his father, still upset by his calm demeanor. "Dad, it's unfair!" All eyes turned from Yuugi, looking to Seto.

Seto sighed, apparently weary of his children's unwillingness to let go of him. "We've been over it-"

"No, not that. I don't like it, but I can accept that you can't stay. What's unfair is that you don't want a memorial!"

Seto took a second, realizing that this was an altogether different fight than he had been expecting. "Yuugi, there's no reason for a fuss. Who really cares about-"

Yuugi saw, from the corner of his eye, as Uncle Bakura got up and left the room before it erupted.

"How can you say that!?"

"What about the charities!?"

"The schools!"

"The orphanages!"

Yuugi, Anzu, and Mokuba rattled off their father's accomplishments to him. Increasingly baffled by his nonchalance and incredulity.

"Please, _please_ ," Seto held up his hand to try to quell the storm. "I understand that you all want to remember me. I love you and I love that, but it's not important that _other_ people remember me."

At this, Yuugi stood up abruptly and walked out of the room. He left his sister and brother to argue with their father.

Yuugi slipped out into the garden and he hoped that the night air would cool his burning cheeks. It wasn't fair that the whole world got to do their mourning and move on.

It wasn't fair that when Seto died, Yuugi, Anzu, and Mokuba would probably be alone in their grief. The world would have had its moment to deal with it all. It would have gone through its grief. It would have its closure.

Time would go on… Then…

Then, like a sword to the gut Yuugi realized, 'Time would go on…'

It was more likely that Seto would survive.

Time would go on.

…and he would be alone in his grief…multiplied by three.

Seto was timeless. His children were not. Anzu, Mokuba, and Yuugi could grow old, and grow old they would. Until finally they were bent and broken by time and their time came to an end.

…And their father wouldn't even able to go to their funerals.

The person, for whom this was the _most_ unfair, was accepting it all with calm grace. He was focusing on his children and comforting them. He was making sure that they were taken care of.

 _It is all so unfair._

The world wouldn't truly know about him. He wouldn't be able to share his grief.

"Is that really what you think?"

Tears were streaming down Yuugi's cheeks and he was trembling with the quiet sobs. A cold hand touched his neck and arms wrapped around him. Uncle Bakura whispered in his ear. "Is that really what you think? Do you think that the world does not already know the real Seto? The truth of his condition, is that the truth of Seto? Is he really so little as to be summed up in that single thing?"

Yuugi wanted so desperately to answer, he wanted to say that he realized that Seto's memory, all of the things he did for so many, was more important than the exact moment he died.

"Do you really think that you will be alone in your grief when your father passes? You are not a lone child. You are a part of three. You, Anzu, and Mokuba. There is no grief so strong which could conquer you all. No terrible thing which could separate you from your family."

Yuugi tried to gain control of himself but time was running out. Soon his father would be gone. He would leave them.

"Your father will _never_ leave you, Yuugi. He may not be around you physically, you may not be able to reach out and physically grasp him. But your father will _never_ leave you.

"Remember this always: _Family never leaves each other._ "

+…+

"I apologize, about all the tears. I also-" Yuugi chuckled, as the fight against his tears became more difficult. "I also want to say just one thing."

He took a deep breath and it came out with a shudder. "Our father, Seto Kaiba, saw all of the children of the world, especially those who were without families, as _his family._ He cared for them. He loved them. He did the best he could for them."

It took everything in Yuugi not to break down crying, but he had to say this one last thing. "That means, even though he is gone. He has not truly gone. You are his family and _family never leaves each other._ Even as we mourn the loss of him, we can all still feel him with us, in all of the great things he worked so hard to create. _In this global family._ "

Tears were streaming down Yuugi's face and the crowd was torn between choking sobs and cheers. A quivering smile spread across his lips and he felt arms encircling him as his sister and brother whispered their words of comfort to him.


	5. Epilogue - Family Never Leaves Us

…+…+…

Epilogue - Family Never Leaves Us

The wind was blowing soft balls of snowflakes past the window. It was howling outside but it was quiet indoors. The storm was swirling and blanketing everything, smothering it all. But inside, a fire crackled softly.

Words, spoken through tears, filled the room.

Red tears chased each other down pale cheeks and a pair of icy blue eyes stared out at the storm. A heart, which no longer beat, felt as if it was within a solid grip. A heart which could no longer give life, felt itself pressed in a hug, felt itself surrounded by warmth.

A cold man stared out at the ice and snow and felt himself pulled to listen to every love soaked word. Felt himself pushed to close his ears, lest his cold, dead, eternal, heart should break under the press of their emotion.

Seto stood at the window and let the tears roll down his face. He let them pool at his chin and fall.

"That's the problem with strong children. They find ways to disobey their parents… _Spectacularly._ " Pegasus's words came from the couch as he watched the three siblings embracing on the screen. He laughed, "Maybe I should have chosen to hang around and get a nice send off like that!"

Seto chuckled, even as the tears continued to stream down his cheeks. "Well, that's what you get for deciding to 'die' in a freak accident in the mountains."

"Well you know me: Flair for the dramatic."

Pegasus wiped at the tears, still welling up and falling from his eyes.

"You haven't lost them, Seto."

"…I know… _Family never leaves us._ "

Pegasus smiled and wiped at his tears.

Seto felt a smile quivering on his lips, changing the flow of his tears.

The two thought about their children, saved from monsters, raised by beasts, grown, and flourishing. Three children left to hideous fates in a cruel world. Three wonderful people, who were saved themselves, and dedicated themselves to saving others.

…+…+…

Cycle Complete

…+…+…

…+…+…

Author's Notes:

A little over a decade ago, 2005, I published a short, angsty, painful, story called "Champion." In early 2016, I decided to give the story a re-write. Then I felt myself pulled, pushed, and dragged into writing more about the family I had unwittingly created. Now, in the dark of the end of 2016, I am writing the end of that family.

I find myself surprised, as I write these finally Author's Notes because I suddenly find myself saying my farewells. I am saying goodbye to this story. I am saying goodbye to this world. I am saying goodbye each of the members of this family.

Seto Kaiba who was born unwanted, who endured torture, who became a beast, who ran from a destiny, and who ultimately fulfilled that destiny with a tenderness and love that neither he nor I had ever anticipated.

Mokuba Kaiba who was pulled from rubble and neglect, who fought to be the big brother he knew his siblings needed, who confronted the ugliness of the world, who found humor and joy even in darkness, and who loved his family with a heart which neither he nor I had known was so strong.

Anzu Kaiba who was born in darkness, who became a savage beast fighting with tooth and nail, who gave herself to darkness for the sake of her family, who was nearly swallowed by that darkness and rage, who found that love and kindness could be stronger than any darkness or fear, and who reached out into the darkness in everyone she encountered to shed light, introduce love, and bring hope with a strength of will, determination of purpose, and overwhelming love which neither she nor I had known she was capable of.

Maximillion Pegasus who was born unwanted, who endured horrors beyond imagining, who waited for a hero, who found a hero within himself, who fought to be that hero for everyone, and who eventually found how to be a proper hero by inspiring the heroes in those around him, with a long suffering love neither he nor I knew he had.

Yuugi Kaiba who was born under the dark sheet of terrible twists of fate, who was broken and ravaged by a monster, who thought himself owned, who hated- with every fiber of his being- every fiber of his being, but who found that he was a person wholly unto himself and who recognized that he was wholly loved, and who extended that love to those around him, with a powerful heart and sweet smile which neither he nor I recognized until it was shining at us.

Bakura who was…who is…An enigma… but who has a caring, bleeding, heart which neither he nor I knew about until he was pulling together and caring for a family of broken children who all grew up to be Champions.

Here we are. At the end of this tale. We take our final bows.

We implore you to remember:

 _Only you can be you. You own yourself._

 _Your hurt is not you. Merely a part of your story._

 _Family is the people who love you._

 _Family never leaves you._

And as always, we say:

 _Thank you for reading._

Arwyn,

Seto, Mokuba, Anzu, Yuugi, Pegasus, and Bakura


End file.
